


Gilded

by walkalittleline



Series: Molly has a Charisma of 11 [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Molly has shit charisma and that's The Tea, mild episode 22 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 05:18:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14909081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/walkalittleline/pseuds/walkalittleline
Summary: Molly is so many things that Caleb is not.





	Gilded

They've been weaving their way slowly back through the swamp, following Caleb's direction towards Berleben, when they decide to break for lunch, stopping in a small clearing among the gnarled banyan trees to pull out water skeins and little loaves of bread they'd bought from Dent before departing from the pub the previous morning. They seat themselves among the stumps and broken logs, the mossy ground dappled with midday sunlight, air thick with bugs and humidity that feels heavy in Caleb's lungs and condenses into sweat around his collar and forehead. The smell of loam and plant rot clings to his nostrils and he's becoming increasingly impatient for when they're finally back out of the swamp again and into the open air.

He chews slowly as his eyes roam absently across the rest of the group, Jester seated on the other side of Nott happily teaching Kiri more inappropriate phrases and grinning proudly when Kiri parrots them back while Yasha watches the proceedings with a bemused expression. Beau has inexplicably extracted a few pieces of bacon from the folds of her robes, tossing some of it to Nott who begins to gnaw on it between sips from her flask. Fjord is keeping a half-absent watch, leaning against one of the twisted trunks and squinting into the shadows beyond their little clearing.

Mollymauk has taken up a spot separated slightly from the rest of them as he tests his new sword with a pleased expression. The polished golden blade glints warmly in the sunlight with each expert flick of his wrist and Caleb can't help the small smile that tugs at the corners of his lips watching him. He watches as the tiefling screws up his face in concentration before disappearing from the spot and reappearing with a soft pop twenty feet away beside Beau, who tumbles off her log with a shout of surprise. Molly roars with laughter as she rights herself, cursing loudly and jabbing an accusatory finger in his direction. He sticks out his tongue childishly before disappearing again and returning to his original spot, bowing with a flourish as Jester claps.

Caleb chuckles quietly under his breath and returns to his meal. He pulls his book from the sling under his arm as he eats and flips it open absently, brain automatically drowning out the rest of the chatter as he reads. He's only been at it for a few minutes when a pair of highly polished boots enter his vision over the top of his book, a pierced and pointed lavender tail swishing between them.

"Mister Caleb," Mollymauk says brightly, his sword now sheathed alongside the others.

Caleb can't stop the corners of his mouth twitching up in a smile as he carefully closes his book to look up at him.

"Yes, Mister Mollymauk?" he responds, tucking his book under his arm again.

Mollymauk's wide smile seems to falter slightly and Caleb is sure his cheeks are a darker shade of purple than the rest of his skin, presumably from the exertion, though he seems otherwise unphased from his sword practice, skin annoyingly sweat-free and hair as perfectly coiffed as ever.

"Could I borrow you for a moment?" Molly says. His eyes flicker to Nott next to Caleb, who Caleb sees has frozen, ears perked up straight. "In private," he adds, nodding to the trees behind them.

"How come?" Nott says, no longer hiding her eavesdropping as her eyes flick suspiciously to Mollymauk.

"Because," Molly responds, turning his smile towards Nott, still wide and bright though Caleb can practically feel the temperature drop as it chills. "I want to be out of reach of large, prying ears."

Nott scoffs under her breath and tears another chunk of bread off with her teeth.

"Anything you need to say to Caleb you can say in front of me," she says matter-of-factly, sniffing.

"It's fine, Nott," Caleb reassures her gently. "I'm sure Mollymauk does not plan to murder me and leave my body in the swamp."

Mollymauk lets out a loud bark of laughter, pointed teeth flashing in a grin as Nott scowls at him.

"Well, keep an eye out for that troll," Nott says. She scoots closer to Jester on their makeshift bench, eyes darting around the trees nervously. "It might still be out there."

"I'm sure Caleb and I can handle ourselves if we come across it," Mollymauk says airly, ruffling Nott's ears as he strides past them towards the treeline.

Nott hisses and bares her teeth over her shoulder at him before giving Caleb a final worried glance as he stands to follow Mollymauk.

"I'll be fine," he says with a small smile. He pats her on the shoulder reassuringly before striding to where Mollymauk is lingering twenty feet away.

"Just for a minute," Molly says, not meeting Caleb's eyes as he walks off into the swamp ahead of him, careful to avoid any particularly muddy spots and sticking to the narrow path snaking through the trees.

Caleb hums in response, eyes carefully tracking their surroundings for any signs of the troll or anything else that might be lurking nearby. They've only been walking for a minute or two when he nearly walks headlong into Mollymauk as the tiefling stops suddenly in front of him.

"Right," Mollymauk says, sounding vaguely nervous as he glances around the little thicket of trees they've stopped in. "Yes, I think...yes." He turns to face Caleb, smile pinched and hands clasped together like he's not sure what else to do with them.

"Is everything alright, Mollymauk?" Caleb says with a frown.

"What?" Mollymauk replies, blinking back at him. His smile widens to the familiar broad grin though Caleb can tell it's not entirely genuine. "Yes, of course, fine, everything's, ah, everything's fine. I just, um—" he coughs and takes a deep breath, voice softening from the playful manner he so often adopts as he continues. "I just wanted to thank you. For this," he adds and pats the hilt of his sword when Caleb frowns in question.

"Oh," Caleb responds, surprised. "There is no need to thank me, Mollymauk. In truth, it was not mine to give, though I do not think anyone in the group would object to you taking possession of it. It fits you well."

"Right," Molly says, absently scratching the back of his head. "Well, still," he continues, clearing his throat. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Caleb says, nodding. They fall into an awkward silence, Mollymauk frowning down at his boots, and Caleb is about to ask if there is anything else he needs when he pipes up again.

"Still, though," he says, "it's a very nice sword and, well, now that I have this, I can pretty much keep myself out of danger if I get hurt and I wanted to...to return the favor and give you something."

"Mollymauk, you do not need—" he trails off as Molly reaches up to unfasten the little heart necklace he'd bought from Pumat from around his neck, striding towards him as he does.

"Here," he mutters, frowning faintly as he reaches around Caleb's neck to clip the necklace on at his nape. Caleb feels himself freeze automatically, hands clenching into fists at his sides as Molly crowds into his space, the smell of lavender and something sharp and warm—though not wholly unpleasant—filling his nose. He realizes that this is the closest Molly has been since they'd killed the spider in the sewers. He's not meeting Caleb's eyes this time around, though, brow knit in concentration and lower lip tucked between his teeth as his fingers fumble with the clasp.

"There you are," Molly says as he steps back with a pleased smile. He finally meets Caleb's gaze, expression uncharacteristically apprehensive. "It suits you, I think."

"Mollymauk," Caleb says slowly, looking down to turn the pendant in his fingers. "I cannot accept this."

"'Course you can," Molly says breezily. "It's a gift."

"This is worth hundreds of gold," Caleb responds with a shake of his head. "You bought this with your hard earned money, I—"

"And it's mine to give away," Molly says, insistent now, brows furrowing faintly.

Caleb gives him a long, searching look, frowning when Molly drops his eyes again, feigning examining his meticulously cared for fingernails. Of all of his new traveling companions, Molly may be the most baffling of them, if only in how wildly different they are from each other. Molly is loud, exuberant in his every facet, indulgent with his money and affections in equal measure. Molly is so many things that Caleb is not. When they'd first met he'd found him overwhelming and garish, very much the peacock inked across his lavender skin, though the more time he spends with him the more he sees the earnest heart under the many gilded layers he's wrapped himself in.

"Mollymauk," Caleb begins gently. "Why are you giving this to me?"

Molly sighs, wetting his lips and shaking his head slightly, the many baubles and jewels dangling from his horns tinkling quietly.

"You need it more than I do," Molly says, all trace of showy smile or air of bravado gone from his face.

"Why is that?" Caleb says.

"Because," Molly continues, clearing his throat. "Because, you are always...you're _always_ the one to fall first. I have this now—" he pats the hilt of the sword again, "—I'll be fine. I—we almost lost you again in there and what happens when we don't get lucky next time? We need our wizard now, don't we?" He flashes Caleb another wide smile and Caleb can see the hesitance behind it.

Caleb nods slowly and gives him a small smile in return. "Well, thank you," he says, patting the pendant. "I will try to stop almost dying from now on."

Molly huffs out a laugh and Caleb watches the tension drop from his shoulders.

"Thank you," Caleb repeats. "I do not deserve such a gift _but_ I am grateful nonetheless," he finishes as Molly opens his mouth to contradict him.

Molly nods stiffly and they fall into another uncomfortable silence that breaks when Nott's voice suddenly comes rasping into his brain.

"Caleb, is he killing you, are you okay?! _You can reply to this message_!"

"I'm fine, Nott," he responds, rolling his eyes when Molly gives him a questioning look. "Perhaps we should go back before she comes looking for us."

"Oh, right, of course," Molly says and nods in agreement.

They trek silently back through the trees to the clearing, Nott glaring suspiciously at Molly as Caleb returns to his seat, ignoring Jester's shout of "were you guys making out?" as he does.

"What did he want?" she mutters.

"Nothing important," Caleb responds, tucking the necklace under his shirt discretely. "To thank me for the sword."

"Well, he could have done that here," Nott scoffs. "Going off into the middle of a swamp when there's murdering fish people and trolls about, you could have—" she trails off into angry grumbling, shooting Molly wary looks every few seconds where he's seated on a stump on the opposite side of the clearing, turning the sword over in his hands.

He looks up and Caleb catches his eye, giving him a small, reassuring smile and touching his chest where he can feel the pendant cool against his skin. Molly nods once, sharply, and turns back to his sword, though Caleb can see the faint smile on his lips. He pulls his book back out and returns to his previous spot, smiling to himself, one hand still resting against his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to write several novels on Molly's inability to express affection like a normal person and Caleb's inability to process it.


End file.
